Television soaps are using the issue of post-natal depression in a bid to boost ratings but, as Kate Sullivan reports, the problem is all too real for many North East mothers

Television soaps are using the issue of post-natal depression in a bid to boost ratings but, as Kate Sullivan reports, the problem is all too real for many North East mothers

Settle down in front of the TV to watch your favourite soaps and you are likely to come across a screaming baby and a desperate mum.

Natalie in EastEnders is having trouble bonding with her son Jack,

Bernice in Emmerdale doesn't feel any emotional attachment with her daughter Gabrielle and Anna in Hollyoaks is finding it tough keeping everyone - including baby Charlie - happy.

The one thing these fictitious mothers have in common is a supportive father for their children, but baby blues don't wash away that easily.

From a few low days and a couple of tears to abandoning the baby and even murder, post-natal depression is finally being taken seriously as an illness.

Health experts, doctors, social workers and midwives now recognise that a mother showing the symptoms of the condition needs help at the earliest opportunity.

But many also believe the biggest obstacle is social stigma. Experts believe awareness of the condition needs to be raised to break the taboo and allow women to air their worries without feeling they are bad mothers.

Natalie Evans, in EastEnders, felt as if she couldn't speak to her husband about the resentment she feels for their baby but, after a chat with her GP, she discovered that a few simple changes to her routine can help.

Anna in Hollyoaks is finding Charlie's screaming too much to handle, especially as he seems to calm down when spending time with anyone else.

Soap writers are no strangers to accusations of being heavy handed or going over the top when it comes to serious issues.

But post-natal depression has far reaching consequences for thousands of women in the region.

Tracy Long, 41, of Walker, Newcastle, is well versed in the effects of post-natal depression.

She suffered from the illness after the births of both her children, each time with different symptoms.

Alexander, now eight, was the perfect baby. He slept for 16 hours a day and was a happy healthy child, but mum was struggling. She had been through a long trauma and was unable to get close to her son for a week.

Tracy now believes this separation may have been to blame for her difficulties in bonding with Alexander.

"The depression came on almost straight after the birth," Tracy said.

"When I got him home I found I was extremely anxious about everything.

"The doctor put me on anti-depressants and I started to go for counselling with my health visitor on how to bond with him."

Tracy says some of the best things she learned at the sessions was how to massage Alexander with oils.

"It was calming for me and that's how we finally bonded," she said.

Consultant psychiatrist at St George's Hospital in Morpeth Dr Angela Walsh agrees that counselling is the best form of therapy for mothers with these problems.

"They need someone who is trained to listen to them sympathetically; even if it is an hour a week for about six weeks it can be very useful.

"If mothers find they need more than that, it is possible for them to have medication prescribed like anti-depression tablets."

Dr Walsh runs a specialist unit at the hospital where mothers who are severely depressed can spend some time as inpatients. "About 10 per cent of women get post-natal depression and cases vary from fairly mild to very severe," Dr Walsh said.

"The minority of women can be best managed by primary care, like counselling, but some of them do need extra attention and this is why the unit at St George's Hospital is so good."

Dr Walsh's work is aimed at getting every new mother screened for depression by filling in a simple questionnaire. This helps doctors and specialists focus on mothers who score highly on the questionnaire and are at risk or are already suffering from depression.

The signs are easy to spot when you know what they are but mothers suffering for the first time often don't recognise them as an illness.

"Mums might not be enjoying a new baby the way they think they should be," Dr Walsh explained.

"They might be feeling tired and that everything is a big effort. Even doing simple things can be difficult.

"Perhaps a mother doesn't feel any attachment to their baby and they blame themselves by thinking they are a bad mother, and that can be very difficult for them." According to Dr Walsh, half of all women suffering post-natal depression don't tell anyone how they feel or that they are depressed.

"Many women are ashamed of how they feel and some are even afraid that, if anyone finds out, their baby might be taken away from them. All these things prevent women from talking about their feelings and experiences, that's why the questionnaire is such a good idea."

Tracy knows exactly what Dr Walsh means when she talks about the feelings post-natal depression induces.

"I was very low and tearful and I started to get paranoid that people were talking about me.

"I didn't think I was any good as a mother and some of the thoughts I was having were quite scary," she said.

It took a long time but the counselling eventually worked. Tracy felt happy and healthy and well enough to have a second baby, daughter Chenise.

"I didn't go into the pregnancy expecting to suffer again. I wasn't even thinking about depression," she said.

The birth was relatively trouble-free and Tracy was feeling fine, but from the minute she was born Chenise hardly stopped screaming and the depression soon came creeping back.

"I thought everything had been going well because I was so pleased to be breast feeding, but Chenise screamed constantly and I am convinced this is what triggered the depression. It felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer."

Tracy was worried about her daughter and thought her screaming may have been caused by an illness. She enlisted her doctor's help and once she was reassured that Chenise was perfectly healthy and Tracy hadn't done anything wrong as a mother, she started to recover.

"This time the depression only lasted about six months. With Alexander it had been a lot longer."

Dr Walsh believes Tracy was right to call for help.

"It is so important that mothers don't suffer in silence," she said.

Dealing with depression

Post-natal depression doesn't always come in small doses; the severe form is called post-natal psychosis.

This is a manic-depressive illness and needs to be treated.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Angela Walsh said: "Women with post-natal psychosis have either very elevated or extremely low moods - this is where the manic part comes.

"The women can have very strange ideas and experiences and be convinced other people know what they do.

"This could mean they think their baby is going to die, when it is clearly not the case, and they may even think other people know something about their baby's health."

Post-natal psychosis is not an emotional problem that can be dealt with through counselling; nor is it any fault of the mother.

This is a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated properly with medication.

"The psychosis starts within the first two weeks after the baby is born," Dr Walsh said.

"The milder type of post-natal depression can start any time within the first six months after birth and if any of them are left untreated they can go on for a year."